Fedex Charging Additional Shipping Charges

[gultefairy]

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience or advise on how to handle Fedex's extra shipping costs? For months now we have been observing discrepancies between what we anticipate to pay for Fedex labels and what we are actually charged on our invoice (Keep in mind that we weigh and measure the packages after they have been packed so our dimensions and package weight are spot on). Fedex will charge us anywhere from 10% to 30% more than the cost of the label, in a few instances I remember being charged 50% more, we have also had duplicate charges show up on different invoices. We have called Ebay in the past several times to file disputes with Fedex, the result has been the same. They detail all the disputed charges and say they will submit the claim to Fedex, and if Fedex feels they have made a mistake they will credit us on our next invoice, which has yet to happen. How are they able to get away with this unchecked? We typically try to avoid using them but shipping large packages with them is more often cheaper than USPS, and if we go to the Fedex store to purchase the label in person vs. utilizing the Ebay discount we end up paying way more.

[slippinjimmy]

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@gultefairy wrote:

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience or advise on how to handle Fedex's extra shipping costs? For months now we have been observing discrepancies between what we anticipate to pay for Fedex labels and what we are actually charged on our invoice (Keep in mind that we weigh and measure the packages after they have been packed so our dimensions and package weight are spot on). Fedex will charge us anywhere from 10% to 30% more than the cost of the label, in a few instances I remember being charged 50% more, we have also had duplicate charges show up on different invoices. We have called Ebay in the past several times to file disputes with Fedex, the result has been the same. They detail all the disputed charges and say they will submit the claim to Fedex, and if Fedex feels they have made a mistake they will credit us on our next invoice, which has yet to happen. How are they able to get away with this unchecked? We typically try to avoid using them but shipping large packages with them is more often cheaper than USPS, and if we go to the Fedex store to purchase the label in person vs. utilizing the Ebay discount we end up paying way more.

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Get your own Fedex account so you have your own account manager who can help out in these situations.

Are the extra charges strictly weight/volume related or are they extras like residential delivery, Saturday delivery etc?

[strawberryfields910]

I was just ambushed by this as well.  Shipped a pair of boots.

Weight: 2 lb. 9 oz. 

Package size: 13x11x5

Buyer paid: $9.68

Charge that showed up on invoice 10 days later: $12.52

According to eBay: 

Bill weight:  6 lb

Freight Amt:  $13.30

Fuel Amt: $0.79

Perf Price Disc: $-1.57

What a scam!  eBay's calculator must be incorrect.  We should not be paying more than the buyer.  I've got to now comb through all of my listings and remove any that I set to FedEx for shipping!  Ugh.  😞

[mvls1]

I am just curious, are you using calculated shipping that Ebay figures for the buyer or are you using flat rate shipping that you enter one cost for all buyers where ever they are located? I am asking because we do not use calculated shipping so we set the shipping cost in our listings. We have never used calculated shipping and only had one instance where FedEx overcharged us. We have shipped over 10,000 packages with about one third with FedEx and been very satisfied with their service. From the complaints I have read over the past year it appears that the problem may be with Ebay's calculated shipping for FedEx.

It would be interesting to see what percentage of sellers being overcharged with adjustments are using calculated shipping and what percentage are using flat rate shipping.

[strawberryfields910]

More often than not, I use calculated shipping.  This is the protocol I follow:

1. Enter the dimensions of package and weight

2. Use the eBay ship calculator (selecting the city furthest from my home)

3. Compare rates to determine the cheapest option for potential buyers (also comparing In-store rates vs. eBay rates)

[dtexley3]

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@strawberryfields910 wrote:

I was just ambushed by this as well.  Shipped a pair of boots.

Weight: 2 lb. 9 oz. 

Package size: 13x11x5

Buyer paid: $9.68

Charge that showed up on invoice 10 days later: $12.52

According to eBay: 

Bill weight:  6 lb

Freight Amt:  $13.30

Fuel Amt: $0.79

Perf Price Disc: $-1.57

What a scam!  eBay's calculator must be incorrect.  We should not be paying more than the buyer.  I've got to now comb through all of my listings and remove any that I set to FedEx for shipping!  Ugh.  😞

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@strawberryfields910 Please add the following info and I'll page a blue to the thread.

1. Your shipping Zipcode and the buyer's Zipcode

2. FedEx service used, ie SmartPost, Ground, Home, 2Day.

I ship quite a bit via FedEx and it's VERY RARE for me to be upcharged.  However, I do have one from Jan. where eBay's system did not apply dimensional weight to the label cost.  I now check for that by figuring the DW myself and setting the weight to the DW.

[strawberryfields910]

Hi. I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with FedEx... spoke with 3 different reps and nobody could help me. In fact, the last rep I spoke with had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned dimensional weight. She ended up telling me to call eBay. Ready to tear my hair out. LOL

I used FedEx SmartPost. Shipped from 34957 to 45103.

[angwjea]

usps is just as bad . all they have to do is say your box is off by a quarter of a inch and  ebay invoice will have extra shipping fees months later even  if you dispute it .    usps is the worst shipping around they suck at pretty much every thing they do  they are very lazy or greedy 

[dtexley3]

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@strawberryfields910 wrote:
Hi. I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with FedEx... spoke with 3 different reps and nobody could help me. In fact, the last rep I spoke with had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned dimensional weight. She ended up telling me to call eBay. Ready to tear my hair out. LOL

I used FedEx SmartPost. Shipped from 34957 to 45103.

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Weight: 2 lb. 9 oz. 

Package size: 13x11x5

Buyer paid: $9.68

Charge that showed up on invoice 10 days later: $12.52

According to eBay: 

Bill weight:  6 lb

Freight Amt:  $13.30

Fuel Amt: $0.79

Perf Price Disc: $-1.57

Ok so we have a 3lb actual weight, 3 lb dimensional weight  (13x11x5 / 255) which should be $9.68 as expected.

I recommend you go to a FedEx drop site with the tracking number and ask if they can pull a detailed tracking history that shows any weights as it passed through automated systems.  It could be that your package got stuck to another so the system would show a weight change along the way.

brian@ebay  OP has contacted eBay CS to get this resolved and doesn't seem to be getting anywhere, if the tracking shows the weight increased along the way eBay should be able to have FedEx correct the charge.

[strawberryfields910]

Hi again! Thank you so much for looking into that -- much appreciated!

I just got off the phone with eBay CS. According to the rep I spoke with (and she also spoke with an account specialist), I'm not the only one having a problem with a FedEx up-charge. She confirmed that I should have been charged $9.68 and will be filing a dispute with FedEx. She suggested I switch any unsold listings to USPS until eBay gets this problem resolved with FedEx (which I already did).

[gultefairy]

My issues are always weight/dimension related. I use the Ebay shipping calculator by inputting the weight and dimensions of the package then chose Fedex Home Delivery/Ground based on the address. I have spoken to Ebay reps and Fedex more times than I can count and there has yet to be any resolution. From what I can gather it seems like many sellers on Ebay have had this issue with these extra Fedex charges. I read an old post about this a few days ago and a member suggested that we file a complaint to BBB. I filed one 2 days ago and they responded expeditiously and asked me to provide the tracking numbers to all my disputed claims. I think if enough people who have experienced the same thing file a complaint then it might be enough to get their attention. Last thing they want is to potentially face a class action lawsuit.

[mvls1]

I think part of the problems sellers are having with FedEx charges could be related to the fact that most boxes do not measure the sizes that are stamped on the bottoms of the boxes. For example, a box stamped 12x12x12 on the bottom will measure over 12" tall when filled and sealed. In addition, sometimes the width will measure over 12" wide which together is enough to get your shipment charged as a 13x13x12 box and increase your cost to ship it. If the box we are shipping is close to going over we either input the larger size or trim the box down to stay within Fedex dimensions. Sometimes a pain, but the savings are worth it.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@gultefairy 

This is the recent announcement on dot com.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/UPDATE-Lower-FedEx-rates-are-effective-today-FedEx-UPS-a...

I sell on dot ca so there is a different set of rules. From my understanding they are supposed to waive any additional fees like rural addresses, residential addresses for ebay fedex accounts. You should be able to confirm from your invoice if these charges are being added. The other thing that may be happening is anything oversized is charged with dimensional calculations ( whichever is greater - Actual or Dim weight) . There can also be additional charges for home pick up. 

-Lotz

[gultefairy]

We offer Free Shipping on 98% of our listings so I simply input the weight and dimensions of the package and purchase the label. It is possible that the Ebay Shipping calculator is off, but by a 15-50% margin of error? That is excessive. For example I recently sold a dog kennel, which was almost 60 lbs, the item was still in the manufacturer's packing...unopened. I don't remember what the dimensions were but it was on the box. Ebay estimated the shipping cost to be $42.45, come invoice time the cost was $53.73. That is 25% more than we anticipated on paying, way more than a round off error. I can understand 1-3% off the estimated cost which I have seen a few times but anything more than 3% raises alarm, especially when we all know how to use a scale and measuring tape. I also noticed on one invoice over the summer, we sold 6 backpacks (the exact same brand and weight), the weight was 3 lbs, the estimated cost for each was in the ranges of $9.20-$10.60. On that invoice 3 of the backpacks came out to the estimates some were a few cents off here and there, but on one of them the weight on the invoice was listed as 10 lbs and the shipping costs was $19.35...HOW?..6 backpacks, all weighing the same & packaged exactly the same. When using the calculator I typically go up on the dimensions and weight if it is going to be about the same cost, just as a precaution to protect myself from overages. The unfortunate thing about all this is that I was never proactive about reviewing our invoices until recently. Once I started I went back to look at older invoices and noticed the same discrepancies...exaggerated charges, weights, dimensions, duplicate charges (for example being charged for the same label on your May and July invoice). 

[lja440]

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@angwjea wrote:

usps is just as bad . all they have to do is say your box is off by a quarter of a inch and  ebay invoice will have extra shipping fees months later even  if you dispute it .    usps is the worst shipping around they suck at pretty much every thing they do  they are very lazy or greedy 

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I'm a mail carrier. I invite you to ride a day with my lazy self.  If you don't want to ride my 97 mile long route I'm sure that you can walk with one of the city carriers (wear comfy shoes, one walks 8 miles and the other 14 miles each day).

As an eBayer I ship hundreds of packages. I have yet to get a notice that my postage was off. I do use ACCURATE  measurements and weights. I check calibration of my scales every time I get them out to use. I purchase my labels through PayPal (personal preference over eBay). 

My suggestion for the OP's FedEx woes: Be Accurate and use USPS.